Ryoko Goes Too Far
by Ronnie K
Summary: Ryoko says something in denial and anger that she doesn't really mean. Can she fix this before it's too late?
1. Chapter 1

**I was going to put in the narrator parts like in the anime, but I felt that would take away from the story. Events depicted here might not exactly match what happened in the anime. **

That damn dream again. Ryoko rolled over and tried to go back to sleep, but she knew it was pointless. She could never get back to sleep after _that_ dream. It made her angry. She didn't know why it did, but it did. She punched the wall and that hurt, which in turn, made her even madder. With an angry sigh, she threw back the covers and tried to clear her head. A few minutes later a sleep befuddled Ryoko shuffled her way to the bathroom to get ready for a day that was probably going to suck.

Her roommate Ringo had to go to school early to finish up a project for class, so Ryoko was walking by herself, which gave her way too much time to think. She liked to think of herself as a woman of action, but in reality, what this really meant was that she preferred to hit something rather than think about it. And right now, she really really wanted to hit something...or some_one_.

It was _his_ fault. If he hadn't professed his love to her (again and again!), she wouldn't be having these stupid dreams and she wouldn't wake up exhausted and her hand wouldn't hurt because she wouldn't have punched a wall. Yes, t was all Ryoshi's fault!

The scene flashed into her unwilling mind again. It was annoyingly the same dream every time. The details almost never changed. She wakes up in a field (in a field? really?) wearing a dress and a tiara (seriously?). Still reclining amidst the flowers, she is held tenderly by Ryoshi and gazes longingly into her eyes. He says "I love you and I will always take care of you". The next moment he is bending down to kiss her. Her sleeping mind is telling her that she should be pulling away and then punching his lights out for this, but she's not controlling the dream. As a matter-of-fact, until the kiss starts, her mind is watching passively as the scene plays out. It's as if she's a third person in the scene. A bystander. Invisible. Watching. But, once the kiss starts, that third person is gone and she is there in her own body, being kissed. What amazes her every time is that her arms are wrapped around his neck and she is kissing him back! The dream-Ryoko is actually enjoying it!

This is the point where she wakes up. And her day rarely improves from there. Her mood certainly doesn't improve.

"Damn him!" Her own shout startled her and, looking around, she is painfully aware that she has just yelled at no one in particular and all the students were giving her a wide berth and staring as if she were deranged. More deranged than usual, anyway. And maybe, in that moment, she really was. Thankfully, nobody asked her what was bothering her. They were too afraid to even be near her right then, much less talk to her. That was _something_ to be grateful for, at least.

Her face heated up with the embarrassment and she knew it was redder than Ringo's hair. Keeping her head down she walked faster towards school. Face, red. Mood, black. It was going to be a colorful day.

The only way to work out her anger was at the gym, but she couldn't do that until early evening. At least today was Friday. That was something, at least.

* * *

Walking down the secret stairs towards the meeting room of the Otogi High School Bank, Ryoshi Morino was lost in his thoughts. He had been having dreams lately too. Dreams that woke him in the middle of the night in a cold sweat with his heart beating wildly.

It was a simple dream. He was chasing Ryoko down the street, telling her that he loved her. But no matter how fast he ran, or how loudly he professed his feelings, she remained out of his reach. She never said a word in this dream, she never moved. She just stood, arms crossed, and scowled. So close and still so far away. He ran and ran. The dream probably only lasted a few minutes, but it seemed as if he was running for hours.

It took him quite a while, but he finally understood what the dream meant. He could confess to her as much as he wanted, but it wouldn't make a difference. She would never be his girlfriend and they would never date. That dream he lived for (not this dream, but the one where he sweeps her off her feet and they live happily ever after) was never going to happen.

He'd had those thoughts since before he ever talked to her. When he was just her shadow, watching her. Unseen and unknown. But then he did finally meet her. Thanks to Ringo's help, he became part of the Otogi Bank that she was a part of. He got the chance to work with her. Through his willingness to act as Ryoko's shield, she finally accepted him as part of their group. She eventually began to trust him to cover her back in a fight.

It gave him hope that some day she would begin to return his feelings. At least a little. That was a hope that he had clung to tenaciously. But months had gone by and nothing else had changed. He made his feelings known to her from time to time, but her reaction was always the same. She scowled at him. Just like in the dream.

If only he could get some sort of sign from her. Some indication that she could someday see him as a man. A man that was worthy to stand beside her in life and not just in battle.

He entered the luxurious meeting room for the bank. Ryoshi always marvelled at how elegant that room was. It seemed to him as if it would not have been out of place in a great mansion. A large room with leather couches and wooden bookshelves, it would have fit perfectly as library for some wealthy aristocrat. No matter how many times he came into that room, he never failed to be impressed by it.

Some of the members had already arrived. President Liszt with his enigmatic smile sat at his desk and nodded at Ryoshi as he came in. Ryoshi could never figure out exactly how the man's mind worked. All he knew was that the President ran the bank well, and he always had a plan for whatever came up. Always a backup plan too. What he really had, though was leadership, and they all turned to him when the chips were down or when something went unexpectedly wrong.

Secretary Alice stood by his side as always with her eyes glued to her hand-held computer. The President's right-hand "man"(and his cousin), she was always ready to supply him with critical data when needed. Though deep down she was a caring person, the first impression of her often led people to believe that compared to her, an iceberg was downright warm and cozy.

In the corner, Otsu the maid had found some dust and was efficiently gathering it up with her broom. Aside from her cleaning duties, Otsu was also the first person who interviewed prospective clients before they were introduced to any of the other members of the bank. She was a one-woman greeting club and client screener.

In another corner of the room was Mojolica, engineer/flake/witch?/oddball of the group. In her long robe and floppy hat, she was stroking a lizard and mumbling quietly to herself. A half-eaten lollipop was stuck to her pointy hat. Everyone else pretended not to notice.

Ringo sat on one of the couches, staring off into space until he came in. She gave him one of her innocent smiles, which somehow gave him the illusion that her short cut, bright red hair was glowing. Not quite on fire, yet smoldering and ready to burst into flame at any moment. Instead of soothing, her smiles tended to make those that knew her very nervous. Her body looked as if she was 10 years old (and she tended to dress as a 10yr old too), but her mind was closer to an adult's. A devious adult at that. She always had some kind of scheme going on and it usually involved one or more of the bank members and it was also probably something that she should keep her nose out of anyway, but that was Ringo. The first hint that some plot was going through her little head was that smile.

Absent were Taro and Otohime (as usual). They were probably in a deserted room somewhere close by with Otohime trying to do indecent things to the handsome Taro while Taro tried desperately to escape. It wasn't that Taro didn't love her, it was just that part of his weakness for women (ALL women, unfortunately) was the fun of the chase. With him doing the chasing, of course. While they were often absent for meetings, when there was a job for the bank that required their assistance, they were always there and ready to do their part.

Also absent, he noticed, was Ryoko. He hadn't talked to her all day. He had seen her in school, of course, since they were in the same class, but she hadn't talked to him. She didn't even look at him. From what he could see of her face, she seemed to be thinking about something. Whatever that something was, it seemed to make her angrier by the minute. He had been afraid to even try to get her attention. Maybe she would be feeling better by now. He sure hoped so.

As he was about to take his chair, the door opened again and Ryoko marched in. Her body was stiff and her face was a thundercloud. As she approached the couch, presumably to sit next to Ringo, Ryoshi's concern for her overrode his fear of her anger and he walked quickly towards her, stopping in front of her and holding her wrists gently as he tried to make eye-contact.

"Are you alright? What's wrong, Ryoko?"

Her eyes had been downcast, but only until his hands touched her. Her head snapped up then to look at him, the anger in her eyes and face almost felt like a slap to him. She yanked her arms from him and stepped back.

* * *

Looking back on it, she could remember the scene vividly, but it didn't seem like it was really her acting that way. It couldn't have been.

Deep down, though, she knew. She had snapped. She had taken all her pent up emotions from the day and hurled them into Ryoshi's face at the top of her lungs. All the while, a little voice way in the back of her mind was screaming "nononono! Don't DO this! Please!". Maybe the voice was actually Ringo's and not hers. She wasn't sure. Whether it was her inner voice or it was Ringo's, it had absolutely no effect on her.

* * *

"Don't you touch me! Don't you ever touch me!" She was screaming this at the top of her voice, and she couldn't stop herself.

"I don't love you, I will never love you. Do you understand? I don't want to wake up and see your face and I don't want to kiss you! I don't care if I never see you anymore. Do you understand me!?"

This tirade was followed by absolute silence in the room as all eyes widened in shock at what was unfolding before them. It even got the attention of the usually oblivious Majolica. They were used to Ryoko's outbursts, but this one had an amount of frustration and venom that they had never heard before. It was also loud enough to make everyone's ears hurt. The fuming Ryoko sat on the couch next to Ringo and stared at the floor.

The silence was broken by a quiet male voice. A voice that held as much defeat as the screaming voice had held anger.

Everyone caught a glimpse of his teary-eyed face before he bowed his head. His arms hung limply at his sides as he replied in a lifeless voice.

"I understand". He slowly turned and walked out the door, closing it softly.

An oppressive silence filled the room. The shock had rendered everyone speechless. Nobody knew what to say.

The first sound to break the spell was a soft sobbing from a corner of the room. Otsu had fallen to her knees and was crying softly into her hands.

The next voice was the unflappable President, who cleared his throat and spoke as if nothing had just happened.

"Now, to today's business..."

"What? Someone needs to go after Ryoshi and talk to him. We can't just pretend that didn't happen!" This was Ringo, who, while horrified at what she had just witnessed, still managed to think clearly.

"The only person who should take that course of action (he was looking at Ryoko as he said this) does not seem inclined to do so, so I suggest that we carry on with the business at hand. Personal matters can be dealt with later."

Like a stone statue, Ryoko neither moved nor spoke the entire meeting. No one spoke to her, either. And so the meeting carried on, though it was awkward for just about everyone.

* * *

Ringo and Ryoko remained silent on the way home from the meeting and through dinner too. Ringo was so shocked, she didn't know what to say and the vacant look in her friend's eyes didn't invite conversation either. Ryoko didn't even go to the gym as was her habit. No word was spoken between them until they had turned out the lights and were laying down in their bunks.

"What have I done?" Ryoko's voice was a mere whisper of despair, but Ringo could hear her clearly.

"Why did you say those things, Ryoko?"

"I don't know. Well, that's not true..." And she proceeded to tell her best friend about the dreams and her reactions to them. Ringo, hearing the anguish and the tears in her voice, thought it over for a few minutes before answering.

"You know how we tease you about being in love with him, right?"

"Yes"

"You know we do that because we all know you really are in love with him, right?"

Silence.

"Look, Ryoko, I understand that you had a traumatic experience with Shiro, and that caused you to deny your own feelings. Ryoshi knows and understands that about you too. Because he knows, he has been as patient as you could ask. More patient than any other person I can think of. He's accepted a lot of abuse from you, hoping that he could eventually show you that he is worthy of your trust and your love. He has certainly proved that to me over and over again. And yet..."

She couldn't finish the sentence. Seconds ticked by on their bedside clock before she could finish in a soft, sad voice. "You hurt him very badly."

"I know." The voice coming from the bottom bunk was shaking with suppressed tears.

Ringo didn't want to hurt her friend more, but she was afraid that Ryoko would wake up in the morning and go about her business as if none of this happened. She had done it before with minor tantrums, but it wasn't going to work this time.

"I don't think you do. You didn't see his pain. You didn't see the tears running down his face. You didn't see the eyes of a person who had just realized that his dream was dust blowing away in the wind. He realized his dream was nothing and it never would be."

The only sound in that apartment for the rest of the night was the sound of Ryoko's soft sobbing.


	2. Chapter 2

It was Monday. She had agonized all weekend over how to approach Ryoshi. But now, she was pumped up on adrenaline and determination. She was going to apologize to Ryoshi. He deserved that. As for her feelings for him, well, she would figure that out later.

She had lost it in front of the other members of the bank, but she couldn't care less what they thought about it. She cared what Ringo, her best friend, thought and she cared about what Ryoshi thought. She owed no one else an explanation, even though the whole event should have embarrassed her to no end. She had talked to Ringo on Friday night. Now she needed to talk to Ryoshi. She would explain everything to him just like she had done with Ringo. He knew the darkest parts of her past, so there was nothing she couldn't tell him. She would tell him about the dreams, about her confusion...about everything. The dreams part would be embarrassing, but she would do it. And then she would ask for his forgiveness. She'd never done that before for anyone except Ringo, but she would do it for him. And he would forgive her. He _had_ to. She had no idea what she would do if he did not. For some reason, she was actually looking forward to this talk with him.

But when she arrived in the classroom, barely in time to start lessons, she saw that Ryoshi wasn't there. Maybe he needed some extra time before he faced her again. It made her heart clench to think that he might be afraid or ashamed to face her. It almost brought tears to her eyes thinking how much she must have hurt him for him to actually avoid her. Ringo had unmercifully pounded that truth into her head.

Maybe it was better that he didn't come to school. She would go to his aunt's apartment building and apologize to him at home after classes ended. Better than doing it at school anyway. And, she would bring Ringo with her. As a witness, of course. Not because she was afraid to face him alone. Of course she wasn't.

She felt more lighthearted than she had in days. Maybe years, even. She even smiled at people in the hallway that she wasn't friends with. She laughed at their shocked faces, which of course, shocked them more. She actually enjoyed the day. How strange!

When they arrived at the large yet modest building, Ryoko and Ringo went to Ryoshi's aunt Yukime. Under the pen name Yuki, Yukime wrote very successful romance novels. Novels that happened to be Ryoko's favorite. Surprisingly, while Yuki was elegant and refined in her written works, in real life she was the exact opposite. She was blunt and coarse and always smoking cigarrettes. She was also very honest and insightful, having understood immediately (and voiced this to an intensely embarrassed Ryoko) that Ryoko was in love with Ryoshi. Instead of coming across as rude and vulgar, her nephew's friends saw her as refreshingly candid and honest. And, she loved her favorite nephew very much.

Yuki answered the door, but she didn't smile at the girls like she usually did when they came to visit. She looked downright hostile.

"What do you want, Ryoko? Haven't you hurt him enough?"

At these blunt words, the girl in question blushed furiously, but refused to look away. "I did not mean to hurt him! Umm, he told you what happened?"

This prompted a look of disgust from the older woman. "Of course Ryoshi would never do that. Do you really not know him at all?"

"I am sorry, I wasn't thinking. I know he would never do such a thing. Then, how did you know?"

"I have penpals that go to your school, both students and teachers, that happen to be fans of my work. They tell me what is happening at school and those stories sometimes give me inspirations for my novels. As a side benefit, it also allows me to keep up with the latest gossip."

Ringo put two and two together quickly. The only people present at her friend's outburst were bank members and it was unlikely that they would blab about it to others outside their group. This meant the leak was most probably from the President himself. He was the only person Ringo knew that schemed more than she did and he did it as easily as breathing. He was the one who informed Yuki what had happened and she could only guess at why he would do such a thing.

"I...I came to apologize to him. I was having a very bad day and I took it out on Ryoshi and I should not have done that. It was a horrible thing to do and I came to try to make amends and ask him to forgive me. Can I see him, please?"

Ringo was amazed at the soft, yet impassioned delivery of this message from her friend. Standing there in front of his aunt, hands clasped together in front of her, it was the most feminine thing she had ever seen her friend do. Ryoshi had affected her so much, and yet she still didn't see it in herself.

His aunt's expression softened a bit at this speech, but her eyes became only became sad.

"I'm sorry, Ryoko, but he isn't here. He went back to the countryside over the weekend. His parents had left him a small cottage out there which he had been trying to sell, but hadn't been able to find a buyer. He left on Sunday morning."

"But—but when is he coming back?"

"He's not coming back. He didn't go for a visit, he _moved_ there." The sadness in her voiced showed just how much she already missed him. She even brought the girls over to his room to show them that what few things he owned were gone. The room was empty. Almost as empty as Ryoko felt at that moment.

Ringo felt it too, although probably not as much as her friend. Ryoshi was Ringo's friend too, and she had grown to love him as a friend. Knowing that she may never see him again was like a punch in the stomach. She was sure that the others at the bank would feel it too when they found out.

Yuki's smile turned a little bitter as she continued. "Haven't you done enough? You've rebuffed his feelings repeatedly, now you've shamed him in front of his other friends and broken his heart. Now, he won't be a bother to you. He won't always be underfoot and making you feel uncomfortable. You don't have to face any of your inconvenient feelings any more. Isn't it better for you this way?"

There were tears in the girl's eyes, but Yuki remained unmoved. If this girl really loved him, she would have to crawl out from under that emotional shell she was living in. If she couldn't, or wouldn't, then she didn't want him anywhere near her beloved nephew. He didn't deserve the kind of abuse he had been getting and would get in the future if she stayed as she was.

"Look, you probably became the way you are now because of some great trauma in your life. I understand that, but guess what? We all have our own point in our life when bad things happen to us. Something that changes the way we see things. Something that scars us. But if we let that one event shape the rest of our lives...then we are losers. We are weak if we only let the bad things affect how we see the world. Good things have happened to you too, right? You have friends at school, yet you keep them at a distance. You had a man that would do anything for you, and you threw him away. Is that how you want to live your life?"

This was quite a long speech. Yuki was a fairly chatty person by nature, but the girls had never heard her speak this much at one time, and with such emotion. It was obvious to both of them that her nephew's leaving had hurt her very much.

Ryoko took a moment for what she just heard to sink in. It was a lot to think about and she was sure she would be awake most of the night going over it. But right now, there was only one important thing.

Ryoko's posture straightened up. Her spine stiffened and her hands were now fisted at her sides. The gleam in her eye, which had been missing all weekend, was back.

"No! I will not give up. I will not just walk away from him like nothing has happened. I _will_ talk to him. I _will_ apologize, and I _will_ have him back here with me-ummm, with us."

So close to being honest with herself, Yuki thought to herself. Maybe there was a chance for her yet. For the first time in days, she almost smiled.

"So, where is he? You said 'the countryside', but that doesn't help. Where in the countryside did he go? I have to speak with him. At the very least, please give me his phone number."

Yuki was shaking her head sadly. "I'm sorry, but Ryoshi made me promise not to give any of that information to anyone." And with that, she bid the girls a sad goodbye and softly closed the door behind them.

Now Ringo understood why the President informed Yuki. He knew that Yuki would tell Ryoko the painful truths that she needed to hear, and in a way that Ringo herself could not.

Walking home from Yuki's house, Ryoko was silently lost in her thoughts. She went over the past few months in her mind and now began to understand some things that hadn't ocurred to her before.

She finally realized that he really was stronger than she was. He, a stranger at the time, had gotten up the nerve to confess his feelings to her when they first met. And he continued to confess them even knowing that she was hostile to him and would return his heartfelt words with anger. He stayed at her side, never knowing when or even if she would ever accept him. Walking into a fight when you already know how to fight wasn't anywhere near as brave as what he had done.

She remembered all the times he had fought for her. Saved her. Walking into fights for her that he had to know he wouldn't win. Yet, he did win. All the while telling her that he would always protect her. And she had the nerve to call him a whimp and tell everyone he needed more testosterone. How many times had she fought for _him_? Never. Great. Something else to feel ashamed about.

Well, she was going to fight for him now. First, though, she had to find him. It wasn't going to be easy for her, but she knew what she had to do. When she changed direction to head back towards the school at a determined pace, Ringo silently followed her lead, wondering what had gotten into her friend's head now.


	3. Chapter 3

Ryoshi finished unpacking his meager belongings. There were only a couple of boxes. Fortunately, the house was still furnished with his parents' things. Couches, chairs, tables, pots and pans for cooking. Even the tatami mats were still there. He was very grateful that it had been left like this. It saved him a lot of shopping. He only had to shop for food now. He could hunt for meat in the woods around the house but he would have to walk the mile or so to the nearest store for his other needs.

It was a coming home, of sorts, but it didn't really feel like it to him. He tried to tell himself that this was a new beginning for him and he should be looking forward to moving on with his life, but he couldn't quite make himself believe that yet. Maybe in time. Maybe when the ache was gone. Right now it didn't seem as if that aching emptiness would ever go away.

After unpacking his things, he went out and set out some traps for rabbit and squirrel. He didn't need a lot of meat so he didn't need any bigger game than that. Thankfully, the traps he had used here as a child were still where he left them. He just had to repair and reset them.

Returning from that, he went and found his old skinning knife and a whetstone. While he sat in the kitchen, sharpening his knife, he let his mind wander.

Ryoshi had grown up in these woods. His father taught him to fish and dress small game. He taught the boy how to survive on his own. He was more thankful than ever right now that he had learned these things.

He had a gone to school at a very small building about a mile away. He would walk there, meeting his friends and neighbors along the way. There weren't many children in the area, so young Ryoshi felt comfortable. He had suffered from ophthalmophobia since birth. It was a fear of being stared at. His father and grandfather had both had it too. This was why the family owned this little house in the forest. It was a refuge for them, away from those piercing eyes of strangers. Everyone around knew about his condition and no one made fun of him for it. More importantly, nobody stared, at least, not very often.

He spent his days learning the outdoors and shooting his slingshot. The slingshot was a hunting model that strapped onto his wrist. It wasn't just a slingshot like most boys learned to make themselves. It's frame was made of metal and it was a weapon, not a toy. With all the practice he put in, he found that he could bring down a squirrel from a tree at a 50 paces in one shot. Of course he didn't shoot them for fun. That thought never even crossed his mind and it would have repulsed him if he had thought it. He shot them because they needed food and meat was expensive at the store. The family had some money because his father worked a good part of the year in the city where he was a business manager, but they still couldn't afford to buy meat on a regular basis.

There was no high school because there weren't enough kids around who would be likely to attend it, so his friends either didn't go to highschool and worked at the local lumber mill or they went into a city to continue their schooling. Most of the friends in his class chose to stay and work instead of go into a city. Actually, Ryoshi was the only one who left his wooded home to go to high school.

It was disconcerting with all the people he had to contend with at his new school in the city. Whenever a group of the guys would start talking, he sat there listening. On the outside looking in, but he was there. It made him feel a little like he was part of the group. Being on the outside meant that he wasn't noticed. He was invisible, but that was fine because that meant that nobody would stare at him. He was a bit lonely because of this, but that was okay. He was learning to adjust.

On his first day in class he noticed her. She was very pretty in a tomboyish way. She had beautful chestnut hair and her figure was slim. He didn't really notice at the time, but her breasts were on the smallish side. It was later that he found that many of the guys wouldn't even notice a girl unless she had an ample chest size. Ryoko, while not totally immune to his teenage hormones, didn't think it was that terribly important. What was important to him were her eyes. Her eyes blazed with intensity and strength. He felt the need to know what she was thinking, what was important to her, how she saw the world with that fierce gaze. But, he was afraid to even look at her directly. She might turn those fierce eyes on him and stare at him. He would wind up a blubbering puddle on the floor in no time. Yet he couldn't help but watch her.

He soon noticed that people tended to avoid her. Almost everyone except for the redheaded girl that sat next to her. A little girl of slight build, she looked like she was still in middle school. Either she was a young girl who was smart enough to skip a grade or two, or she was just small for her age. Unlike her bigger friend, however, she did smile from time to time, so she wasn't as scary.

Following the fascinating Ryoko had soon become his obsession. He knew he was stalking her and he knew that was wrong, but he couldn't help himself. He learned that the little redhead's name was Ringo. Hmm, her name meant Apple. How interesting... He also learned that they were roommates living in the same apartment not far from where he lived in his aunt Yukime's apartment complex/boarding house.

He knew he was very lucky that his aunt owned apartments. He would never be able to afford a city apartment and go to school too. It also helped that they really loved each other and enjoyed each other's company. They hadn't seen each other very often as Ryoshi grew up because Yuki had moved to the city to become a writer, but they bonded at his parents funeral. Aunt Yuki was his mother's sister. After talking to her during that time, she had offered him an apartment if he wanted to go to highschool in the city. It was an offer he was happy to take her up on.

He didn't realize how different the city was until one day he was following Ryoko and Ringo on their way home. As usual, they had no idea he was there. It was a talent, he figured, being able to be unnoticed. It was certainly coming in handy now.

The girls seemed to be chasing someone. A tall blonde haired kid that looked kind of mean. Ryoshi ran along behind them, not really understanding what was going on. When they cornered the young man, Ryoshi stopped a good distance away so he wouldn't be noticed. He was too far away to hear anything clearly.

He saw Ringo back away while her bigger friend put on some- were those kitty-cat gloves? Huh? Before he could think much further he saw something that scared him enough to freeze him in his tracks. The blonde kid had a knife and he was charging at Ryoko! He quickly strapped on his trusty slingshot before he realized that he didn't have anything to shoot. He looked around him and didn't see any rocks or small objects either. What was he going to do? Reaching into his pocket he found an old wad of gum in a wrapper. It was hard from being in his pants all day. Not as hard as a rock but it would have to do.

He took quick, but careful aim and he fired at the thug's knife hand. He had no doubts about his abilities with the slingshot since he had practiced since he was a small child. A direct hit made the hand drop the knife. It wasn't much help, but he was too afraid to actually go out there and help fight. He blushed with the shame of his cowardice.

What he saw next made him burst with pride for some inexplicable reason. He watched as Ryoko punched out the thug like a boxer hitting a piece of meat. The blonde kid fell unconscious to the ground and lay without moving. It was a magnificent display of fighting prowess on her part, but he still felt like a whimp for not rushing out to try and help. Seeing her in action, though, was incredible. That fierce demeanor hid her fears and softness. He felt more attracted to her than ever. He felt like, for the first time, he was in love.

Later, there were the times when he had confessed his love to her, the times they fought together, the times he saved her from those Demon High hooligans. Those memories were a little too fresh and too painful. He put the sharpened knife back in it's sheathe and went to check on his traps. The plan was to make dinner and go to bed early. He was tired of thinking and he just wanted some rest.


	4. Chapter 4 - Final

"I would like to make an official request from the bank."

You could hear a pin drop in the meeting hall at this totally unexpected statement.

"What? Are you serious?" That was Alice. She couldn't quite believe her ears. Ringo herself was shocked at Ryoko's words, but she still managed to note that the President never batted an eye. It was as if he had expected this. Perhaps he had.

Ryoko's request had caught everyone else off guard. She never asked for favors. She never even asked for help from her friends. Her fierce pride would only allow her to rely on herself and her strength and everyone in the room was well aware of that. To hear her ask for a favor—an official one at that- shocked them all speechless. Except the President, of course.

"And what, pray tell, is the exact nature of your request?" The bastard, he was going to make her explain the details in front of everyone, thought Ringo angrily. As if she wasn't embarrassed enough. Then again, this was how it was supposed to work at the bank anyway and Ryoko did make her request in front of the whole group knowing she would have to tell everyone everything. Ringo relaxed a bit at this thought as she waited for her friend to explain herself because she had no clue what Ryoko's plan was.

"Ryoshi is gone." While she took the time to collect herself after this statement, she did notice that no one in the room was surprised at this news. "I need to find him."

"Do you need for him to be brought back also? I'm not sure if that particular task would be feasible, even for us."

"No, I just want the bank to find his location." She stared straight ahead as she spoke, not looking directly at anyone.

"Interesting. May we ask why you wish to find him?" This question may seem exceptionally nosey and rude to outsiders, but it was the bank that was using it's resources for the client and asking why those resources were being used was not unreasonable. Understanding this, Ryoko was able to hold her temper. However, that didn't mean she agreed.

"No, the reason for this request is not important to the bank. It is only important to me."

Unperturbed, the President sat back in his chair as he responded responded. "I disagree with that assessment. However we do agree to take the job." Turning to Alice, he said, "I believe this falls under your skillset. How soon can you do it?"

She thought about it but just for a moment. "It will take a day or two. Ryoshi doesn't have much in the way of financial records to track, so I'll have to dig into his family's history a bit to find something useful."

"Very good." He turned back to Ryoko. "We will inform you as soon as your request is completed. With a curt nod, she turned on her heels and left the room with a very happy Ringo trailing behind her.

Off to the side of the room, Otsu was grinning from ear to ear and clapping her hands softly with glee. Just because she ran around in a maid outfit and acted dim didn't mean she was really dumb. She saw right away what Ryoko was going to do and she thoroughly approved. Judging by the faces left in the room, it was a thought shared by all of them. Even the President's smile widened just a bit.

* * *

Ryoshi soon found out that a new high school had opened up right next to the middle school he had attended as a child. It seems that a number of city folks recently had decided to live in the country since they could work from home over their computers. It was a more relaxing environment and they could always get to the city on the nearby train when they needed to. It wasn't exactly a population boom, but there were more school-aged children now to justify building a new high school. It was small and it hadn't opened long ago, but it was a start. Ryoshi decided that on Wednesday he would register and start classes as soon as possible. He really needed to continue his education and he wasn't sure he could handle being all alone with his thoughts at home all day every day.

He visited the new school the next day. He found it to be small as he expected, but new and very nice. It only had a couple of classrooms open, but it did have room for expansion if needed. A small school might be a nice change of pace from his city schooling.

He found that he recognized only a few people in the school office when he filled out his registration papers. Some of the locals that were tired of the mill came and got jobs here. The rest of the school staff that he saw, however, were strangers.

The receptionist that took his registration was one of those strangers. He guessed she was around his own age, though why she was working instead of in school he could not guess She was petite without being a stick figure and her chest (which he noticed for some reason) wasn't abnormally endowed (like Momoko's for instance), but she wasn't flat-chested either. In short, while she wasn't a beauty queen, she was exceptionally pleasant to look at. He was almost attracted to her. His pain was too fresh for thoughts like that though.

She smiled brightly at him as she took his paperwork. "Welcome back, Mr. Morino." He noticed that she didn't stare. Was that just her nature or did she know about him? Impossible. She couldn't have heard about him coming back that fast. He was imagining things.

"So, you're staying at your parents old house all alone? It must be hard being a bachelor."

Then again, maybe he wasn't imagining things. "No, it's fine, really. Being alone isn't a problem and I seem to manage okay. Oh, and please, call me Ryoshi." His words came out in a torrent, but he couldn't help it. She wasn't staring at him, but it was still a very pretty girl talking to him.

Her smile lit up even more. "I'll be glad to, Ryoshi. I'll have to stop over some time and cook you a nice dinner. I'm quite a good cook. And please, feel free to call me."

"Pardon me?" He felt that she may have left off something in her last statement.

"I said to please feel free to call me Miyu."

* * *

Ryoshi again found herself standing in the Otogi Bank's meeting room as a client instead of a member. "You've found him?"

"Yes, Alice has pinpointed his location. It took a little longer than anticipated, and for that I am truly sorry. His parents owned some property outside the city that Ryoshi has inherited." The President slid a folder across the desk to her. "Here is the address, as well as the bus and trains schedules you'll need to get there. You will also find some background on the town in case it's necessary."

A relieved Ryoko clutched the folder to her chest. "Thank you."

"You are most welcome. It's a shame that you will have to miss tomorrow's classes because of your illness, but I'm sure you will recover in time for school on Monday. Your absence will be taken care of, of course."

"Illness...?" Then she got it. He knew she would want to go as soon as possible and tomorrow was Friday, a school day. She would have gone anyway and he knew that too. He just made the necessary arrangements for her absence ahead of time. She was very grateful for his thoroughness and she hurried home to pack a bag for tomorrow.

* * *

It was about time for Ryoshi to start thinking about what to have for dinner. Then he remembered that Miyu had called him earlier that day and said not to eat because she was bringing over dinner. He had been so flustered that he couldn't come up with an excuse not to see her. He looked at the clock. It was almost 6pm. Did she say she was coming at 6 or 6:30?

At a little after 6, there was a knock on his door. Luckily, he had had time to clean up a bit beforehand. Plus, the house was still as clean as when he had arrived, so nothing needed done on that score.

He opened the door and froze. What greeted him was a vision in a midnight blue yukata . The deepness of the color contrasted with the whiteness of her skin, making her seem to glow. Her shoulder length hair was pinned back and a happy smile made her simply radiant. He was struck speechless. In her arms she carried a couple of boxes. He assumed it was tonight's dinner.

After a moment of watching him frozen, she prompted, "Can I come in?"

That woke him from his trance. "My apologies, please do come in." He led her into the dining area where they began to unpack dinner.

"Thank you so much for doing this, Miyu. I really appreciate it. And you...you look lovely tonight."

That smile of hers came back. "Why thank you! You look quite handsome yourself, sir."

This was going quite well, she thought. He really was as nice as she'd heard. He had such kind eyes too and a personality to match. He was kind of handsome too. She had just met him, but she thought she might be in love already.

The meal was wonderful, and plentiful. "Did you make this yourself? It's delicious."

"Thank you for saying so and yes, I did make it. I do love to cook." From there, the conversation turned to their histories. He learned how she came from a small city with her mother and that she had to work part time at the school while being tutored in the evenings to make up for the classes she missed. It depressed him to realize that Miyu had told him more about herself in the last hour than Royoko had told him in the all the months he'd known her.

Ryoshi really liked her. They hit it off and felt comfortable talking to each other almost right from the beginning. She seemed to like him too. Then he wondered how Ryoko would look in a yukata or what she might have made him for dinner even though she couldn't cook. These thoughts dampened his enthusiasm and Miyu noticed the change.

"What's wrong, Ryo-"

A knock at the door. They looked at each other, her eyes questioning and his confused. Who could that be, and at this hour?

Excusing himself, he left her at the table and went to the door. Opening it, he found himself unable to move again.

"I need to talk to you", said a brusque Ryoko as she pushed past him and strode into the house. At the entryway, she stopped. She saw the sandals on the floor next to his shoes. Very feminine sandals with little white flowers on the straps. She didn't want to find out any more, but she couldn't help herself. She kept walking until she found the kitchen. And Miyu.

_She is certainly very pretty. It looks like she made dinner too. That was fast. Ryoshi hadn't even been here for a full week yet and here she was making dinner for him. In his house. Alone. _

Her insides ached at the possible scenes that brought to mind. She fell back to the one emotion she was comfortable with: anger.

Ryoshi had gotten over his shock and came into the kitchen. He felt embarrassed and had the urge to start making apologies, but he didn't understand why he should be embarrassed nor did he know who he would be apologizing to.

In a strained voice, Ryoko asked "And who is this, Ryoshi?"

She was mad at him. Big surprise. But instead of being fearful, he began to get angry himself. He didn't do anything wrong and neither did Miyu. He had an angry retort at the tip of his tongue, but he bit it back. Creating a scene would just embarrass Miyu further.

"Miyu, this is one of my classmates from the city, Ryoko. Ryoko, this is my friend Miyu." The girls stared at each other silently, measuring each other. As if on cue they both nodded their heads slightly.

Miyu recovered herself first and forced a smile and began to put the dishes back in the boxes. "Well, thank you for having me over, Ryoshi. I think I'll leave you two alone to tal-" Ryoshi put a hand over hers to stop her. "No, you are my guest and I am enjoying your company. Ryoko can come back in the morning. She and I can talk then." Miyu was about to politely refuse, but then Ryoko turned on her heel and left the house. Ryoshi did not try to stop her.

_Well, so much for that. He's still in love with this Ryoko person. I can see that. She probably hurt him through some misunderstanding and they will probably get back together. But, I won't write him off just yet. Oh, who am I kidding? This was over before it started. __I'm going to cry myself to sleep over this one. I just know it._

They continued their dinner conversations, but Miyu could see that his heart wasn't into it. He was still thinking of _her_. It really did seem like the nice guys were all taken already. After a half an hour, helped him clean up after dinner, then she excused herself and left.

Ryoko stormed out of the house and past the waiting Ringo and onto the road that led back to town. Ringo ran to catch up. She was going to ask what happened, but her friend was talking to herself a bit loudly and it wasn't hard to piece things together.

"First, he leaves town without a word. I look for him for days so I can apologize but when I finally find him, he's having an intimate dinner with that-that _girl_ as if they were newlyweds or something. Then he introduces her as his 'friend' while I am just 'a classmate'." She finally realizes that Ringo is walking with her (more like running to keep up, actually) and she informs her, "We're going home."

Ringo grabbed her sleeve and stopped her. "No, we are not going home yet." Ryoko, shocked at Ringo's furious tone, could only stare at her in disbelief. Ringo was almost trembling with anger.

"Yes, Ryoshi left without saying a word. Why wouldn't he? You had to look for him because you told him off in front of everyone. Yes, he seems to have met someone. Why are you surprised? He's a pretty handsome guy and anyone could tell after a short time with him that he's a nice and caring guy who any girl would feel lucky to have.

The question you should be asking yourself is whether you want to fight for him or just go home with your tail between your legs. Yuki was right. The time with Shiro hurt you very much, but you need to move past that. It's time to drop that crutch you've been carrying and walk on your own two feet. What are you going to do?"

Tears streamed down Ryoko's face as she fell into her friends' arms. "Ringo, I'm so scared! Seeing him with her hurt so bad! I know now that I love him but I'm afraid that he's moved on without me now."

_Well, thank God she finally said it_, Ringo thought as held Ryoko's and patted her hair consolingly. _I think she's finally ready to fix this now._

The two friends stood for a long time in each others' arms before composing themselves enough to finish their walk back into town.

* * *

He woke early, as he usually did, surprised that despite the craziness of last night, he managed to get a good night's rest. He dressed and got ready for the day daring to hope that it would be a good day. Or, at least, not a bad day.

He had no idea what he should think about Ryoko's sudden appearance last night. It didn't make any sense to him why she would be here. Well, after last night, she had probably gone home again. His good mood lowered at that idea.

A knock at the door interrupted his thoughts and after last time someone knocked on his door he was uneasy about answering it. Maybe it was Miyu. She did leave her dishes here last night after he offered to clean them and get them back to her. Maybe she was so disgusted about last night that she just wanted to pick them up and be done with him. He couldn't blame her if she felt that way.

Opening the door, he got another shock. It was Ryoko again. This time she didn't just barge in. She stood there with her hands clasped in front of her as she looked calmly up at him. A very demure pose for her. What the heck is going on now? His head was starting to hurt trying to figure it out.

"May I speak with you? Is this a good time or should I come back later?" _Who the hell was this?_

Flustered, he replied "No, no, now is fine. Please come in." He led her to the living room, but neither of them felt comfortable enough to sit down.

She couldn't meet his eyes so her eyes darted around the room nervously as if she expected someone to jump out at her. After a few awkward moments, she took a deep breath and began what she had rehearsed in her mind for most of the last night.

"I...I apologize about the way I acted last night. I acted rudely to you and to Miyu and I apologize. I hope that I will be able to apologize to Miyu today too."

Ryoshi could only stare at her in wonder.

Another deep breath, finally meeting his eyes. "I also want to apologize about what I said to you at the bank. I offer no excuse, but I was upset about something else that day and I said things that I should not have said."

"You don't have to apologize for that, Ryoko. You were only telling me how you felt and I'm glad that you were honest with me." The sadness in his voice as he said this was clear.

"No! I was not being honest. Not with you and not with myself. You have to believe that! I understand if you don't ever want to see me again, but there is something else I need to tell you before I go. Something I should have told you a long time ago. I...I...I-"

She couldn't do it. She couldn't say it to him. All the fear and sadness welled up within her again and she couldn't take it. The room seemed to shrink in on her. She had to get away before she was swallowed up. She turned away abruptly and ran out of the house. Leaving behind an utterly confused Ryoshi.

Blinded by her tears, she kept running. Not down the road towards town, but into the forest. She ran until she was tired. She tried to clear her head as she walked aimlessly through the trees and brush, but she was interrupted by a loud noise. "What the hell was that?" It was the bellowing of a wild animal. An angry wild animal. And it had spotted her, lowering it's head as it began to run towards her.

She was a city girl, but even she knew that you don't try to fight a wild pig. Not even with kitty gloves, which she didn't have with her anyway. What you do is you run. Hopefully, faster than the pig. That's exactly what Ryoko did. She took off through the forest and back towards what she hoped was the direction of Ryoshi's cottage. If she could just reach it before getting trampled! She suddenly found herself outside of the forest and in a field of wildflowers and bush. They were knee-high and she had to highstep to get through them since there was no path.

She could no longer hear the pig behind her. Maybe it got distracted and forgot about her? It was then that she heard the bellow of the beast behind her. It had just come out of the forest in the same place she had just been. Fear helped her run faster. She never saw the rock that tripped her and sent her to the ground. Though the ground was covered in flowers and other plants, she still managed to hit her head hard enough to make her groggy. Her last thought before she blacked out was that she was going to be killed. By a pig. She almost laughed at the craziness of it.

* * *

Looking for Ryoko, Ryoshi finally spotted her from a distance. She had just left the forest at a run and was trying to high-step through the wildflower field. He could see the fear on her face clearly and it sent a chill through him. She was being chased by something, but what? Then he saw it. A wild pig. Doesn't sound dangerous, does it? But a wild pig can weigh up to 300 pounds and can trample someone to bits. They are deceptively fast and are surprisingly aggressive. A very large and fast one was chasing Ryoko.

His hands shook only for a moment as he loaded his slingshot. He wasn't going to kill it at this distance, but he could scare it off. Scare it away from Ryoko. His heart was pounding at the thought of her being ground into a pulp by the beast. He ruthlessly pushed those thoughts aside and concentrated on what he was doing. He pulled back on his shot and barely aimed before letting it fly. Even from this distance, he could hardly miss the broadside of a pig. He did not miss, as the creature let out a load roar and stopped in it's tracks, wildly looking around to find what struck it. Hearing some other noise behind it, the animal turned and charged back into the forest. It's angry bellows sounding farther and farther away. Ryoshi could breathe again. She was safe.

He turned to see where she was and his heart stopped again. Where did she go? She couldn't have gotten all the way through the field in the time it took him to ward off the pig. Where the hell was she? He spotted a Ryoko-sized depression in the flowers and could only guess that she must have fallen. She wasn't getting up, though. Was she hurt? He broke into a frantic run.

* * *

When she could open her eyes, she found that she was surrounded by wildflowers. A quick mental check told her that she wasn't trampled to bits either. But that wasn't what had her attention. Not only was she in a field of flowers, but somehow Ryoshi was there with her. Holding her in his arms. This couldn't be real. This was just the dream again, wasn't it? No, it wasn't the dream. She knew this because unlike the dream, her head hurt from when she struck the ground as she fell. It didn't hurt a lot, but it hurt enough for her not to want to try to get up just yet. Yeah, that's the reason she didn't want to get up. Didn't have anything to do with the fact that Ryoshi was holding her in his arms and looking at her just like he did in her dreams.

"Ryoshi, I love you." The words just spilled out and they felt as natural as if she'd said them a hundred times before.

Safe in his arms, she could finally say it. There was no fear, no pain. It felt good. Saying it felt as if a weight she didn't know was there had fallen away from her. She felt...happy.

She looked at him calmly, waiting. In her mind, however, she was rather impatient. Are you gonna kiss me or what? If you don't do it soon-

Before she could finish that thought, he was kissing her. It was finally happening. For real. He was kissing her like she was the most precious thing in the world. She, in turn, was kissing him as if she was afraid this was still her dream and she would soon wake up. She reached up and pulled his head down harder. This was way better than her dreams.

Too soon, it ended. He pulled his head back and looked over her with a worried expession. She had just hit her head, after all. "Are you all right? Does you're head hurt?" The worry in his voice made her so very happy.

For the first time ever, she truly smiled at him. A full, unreserved smile. It was the most beautiful thing he'd ever seen in his life.

Still smiling, she said in a husky voice, "It only hurts when you stop". Just to make sure that the pain did not come back, she pulled him back down for another, much longer kiss.


End file.
